Raine is sitting on the couch in the living room, watching the news about the Day of Unity on the crystal ball, once Eda shows up from upstairs with a soft smile on her face.
"The kids are fast asleep." Eda tells them while throwing herself on the couch as well. "All this Day of Unity thing is getting Luz all stressed out." The Owl Lady lets out a sigh.
"If it was my realm being invaded by a bunch of magic creatures and witches, I would be stressed out too." They tell her in a distracted tone of voice, without getting their eyes off the crystal ball. "They don't even mention what this thing is. I bet if Belos told everyone he wants to invade the Human Realm, half the isles wouldn't agree with his plans."
"It looks like Luz isn't the only one stressing out about that." Eda comments in a tired voice. All she wants is to smack Belos right in the face to see if she can just fix whatever is wrong with that guy's head.
"The Bard Coven medallion is still connected to me. Emperor Belos didn't make me pass it to someone else because it would cause a commotion since I was recently nominated for the job." They look at the coven sigil on their right forearm. "Kikimora could have just killed me, but the Day of Unity was too close for Belos to find a replacement as powerful as me in such short notice." They close their eyes and let their head fall back on the couch, resting against it. "I'm still the head witch of the Bard Coven and a wanted criminal nonetheless. How is that even possible?"
"Welcome to my life." Eda tells Raine while moving to the side to look directly at them. "I was once the most wanted criminal in the Boiling Isles."
"I don't want to offend you, but you were in another category of criminals, Eda. You didn't run away with the only thing that is stopping the Emperor from fulfilling his plans."
"Actually, I did that, in a way…" Eda smirks at them, trying to be flirty. "I ran away with you in my arms."
"And that was the most reckless thing you ever did. I still think you shouldn't have brought me here." They say in a serious tone of voice, which actually hurts Eda to listen to. "Back that day when we were battling Darius and Eberwolf, when I told you to go, I thought you understood I meant for you not to look back." Raine moves to the side so they don't have to face Eda. Raine knew those words would be hard for her to listen to and they didn't want to see the damage they were causing. "Now I am here putting you and your kids in danger."
"Again, they are not mine." Eda takes a deep breath, standing up from the couch to pace around the living room. "And what was I supposed to do? Leave you rotting in that cell until Belos decided it was time for your petrification ceremony or rescue you and leave you wandering the woods and running away from the scaults all by yourself?" Eda asks in a really angry and demanding tone of voice, challenging Raine to answer her. "Because we can still arrange that." She turns her back at them, trying to unsuccessfully hide her anger from them.
It takes some time, but Raine finally gets the courage to stand up and face Eda, not wanting to feel like they were being scolded by a parent any longer. "I didn't have anything to lose. You did, Eda, and you still do."
"Let's go then, Raine. I will find the most remote forest there is and drop you there." She says, trying to hold herself together by crossing her arms in front of her chest. She can't believe they said they didn't have anything to lose. What did she mean to them then? Just another rebel following their lead or just a ghost from their past that happened to be a rebel as well?
"Eda…" Raine steps closer to her, making Eda have to resist the urge to turn around and face them. She doesn't want the bard to see the sadness all over her face or the look on her eyes that openly told anyone who looked at her that she doesn't want them to leave again.
"Do you really have nothing to lose, Raine?" Eda finally asks it out loud, against her better judgment. The one question that was hanging on her head all this time.
"I- Hum-" Raine steps back as their ears flush. "I-" They place one of their hands in front of their face.
"Oh look who can't be honest about their feelings now." The Owl Lady teases the bard once she finally agrees to face them after all their stuttering to answer her. Even before looking at Raine, Eda knew she would find a really red bard in front of her once she turned around and so she did, making her laugh a bit at the scene.
"Eda!" They shout at the other witch. "That is not fair!" They stomp their feet on the floor in an attempt to make Eda stop laughing.
"So answer me then." Eda places her hands on her waist, waiting for their answer as she tries to contain her laugh.
"I can't." Raine says while turning around and marching towards the kitchen.
"Why not?" Eda raises an eyebrow while following them, not really understanding why they left to the kitchen all of a sudden.
"Because the only answer I have is not gonna make you happy and I really don't want to start another fight right now." They get to the back door of the house and run outside just to find themself staring at the shining city in the distance.
"What?" Eda chases them outside, trying to find some sense in all of that. "You were the one that always said we should be open to each other and now you just run away from me like that?"
"I used to say that when we were dating. Are we dating? I believe not." Raine said in a mix of anger and embarrassment.
"And whose fault is that?!" Eda unintentionally shouts all of a sudden. She didn't mean to shout it like that and oh boy, she did regret doing it afterwards once she saw how painful it was for Raine to hear that. The bard almost crumbled to their knees once those words reached their ears. Like a melody that went terribly wrong.
"Mine, I know. I pushed you away." Is what Eda wanted to say, but she knew that wouldn't just end the topic she brought up. The damage was already spreading.
"And here I was, thinking we were done fighting for the night." They shrug before letting a long breath out.
"I am sor-" Eda begins to apologize, but Raine stops her before she could even start. If Eda wants an answer, they will give it to her.
"I was the one to leave." The bard closes their eyes before turning their back to Eda so they could watch the city in front of them and find whatever force of will they had left in them to say what they had to say out loud.
"But I was the one who pushed you away." Eda admits, stepping closer to Raine, who was torn between being happy for finally having an open conversation with Eda and being upset that the said conversation had to be about their breakup.
"You know, Eda. I didn't have anything to lose until that day you saw me in the plaza with the B. . That day you gave me something to lose." Raine mumbles while trying to stop blushing at the memory of that day. Eda was punching the Emperor's guard on the face while saving another wild witch from joining a coven when they arrived with their crew. She looked so beautiful rebelling against the authorities, her hair dancing around with the wind and her eyes sparkling with that wildness Raine knew very well.
"And what was that?" Eda dared to ask, not so sure of what Raine was going to say next. It could be what she was hoping for or something she would definitely regret asking for.
"You, Edalyn Clawthorne. You!" Raine shouts as they spin around on their heels to face Eda, finding themself standing just inches away from her. All that proximity makes Raine's ears flush and start to feel really warm again. Of all the times their body had to betray them, this had to be the one. "The one and only witch in the Boiling Isles that can make me blush so hard that I feel like my face is about to explode."
"R-Raine?!" Eda widens her eyes in surprise. She was definitely not expecting this to be the outcome of it all.
"Ughh." They groan in embarrassment once again. "Now, do you understand why I didn't want to say anything?" The bard shakes their head to get their thoughts in order. "How can I possibly bring myself to tell you that you are the one and only thing I have to lose when I was the one that did let go of you when we were younger?" They play with a strand of their hair, trying to distract themself from the anxiety building up inside their chest. "And I asked myself everyday why I let go of you so easily back then. Why didn't I stay and fight to save our relationship?"
"I know the answer to that and you are not gonna like it." Eda tells them, feeling the bitter taste of the words she is about to say, bubbling on her lips. "There wasn't anything left to fight for." The Owl Lady takes a really deep breath, trying to keep her sad feelings bottled inside her.
"That is because we got to a point where you barely knew me and I barely knew you. The only things keeping us together were the memories we shared and the feelings that were still there between us." They step away from Eda to give her some space to breathe as they finish what they had to say.
"Somewhere in the course of it all I lost you and once I realized that, it was already too late. I lost you to your fear of letting me in. To your curse that caused you so much pain in all these years." They cross their arms, recalling the last time they saw Eda on that hill full of snapdragons. She was hurting and Raine knew that. The only problem was that Eda pushed them so far away at some point that the only thing they thought of doing back then was give up. "I lost you, Edalyn, and for a long… long time I believed that the only thing I would have left to remind me of you would be a snapdragon from that hill we used to go to. I kept it by the window of my office for years using a preservation spell to keep it alive." They look at her with a sad smile on their face. "That flower was the only reminder that you were still out there. Well, that was until you became a wanted criminal." Raine let out a chuckle. "After that, you were everywhere, the Owl Lady." They let Eda hold their hand as they continue to let everything out.
"But then came the day I had to watch your petrification ceremony. I was so worried, watching you there and not being able to do anything." They sigh, recalling how angry they were that they almost crashed the crystal ball against the wall of their office while watching the whole thing. "Then I realized that was the first time I saw you in your full cursed form. I finally understood why you were so scared of it." They squeeze Eda's hand gently, trying to remind themself that all of this is real and not just some illusion their head made for them. Sometimes it was hard for Raine to remember that they were not trapped in their own mind anymore. "Fortunately you escaped from the ceremony and I was able to breathe in relief because you were not turned into stone." They give Eda a brief look, smiling at her shocked eyes. Raine can tell Eda was not expecting for all this confession to happen this way, but they continue. If they don't do it now, they will never find the courage to talk about it again.
"The day you showed up and told me you wanted to be a part of my crew, I thought fate was joking with me." They place their other hand in front of their face, trying to contain their desperate laugh. "You were right there, in front of me, after all those years. The one reason that inspired me to start rebelling wanted to be around me again." They lock eyes with Eda as she gazes at them. Raine wishes they could tell what is going on inside that brilliant mind of hers. "I wanted to make so many questions about you and about your life, but I told myself it was too much to ask for since I was the one to leave in the first place-"
"I also wanted to ask you many things that day." Eda tells them in a rough voice. It felt like all her energy was drained from her as she let the memories from the past flood her thoughts. "I also thought fate was tricking me 'cause that morning, on the day we reunited, I found the lute you gave me and, for the first time in years, I played our song. It felt so nostalgic and, for a moment, the thought of you crossed my mind. That is when I decided to watch your nomination ceremony that day. Who would have thought I would see you rebelling against the Emperor the same day you became head bard." Eda chuckles, recalling Raine's speech. "Mute the music of our hearts. Right?" She laughs, making Raine jump on their feet and blush really hard.
"I- Eda!" Raine looks to the side, trying to hide their embarrassment. "The kids thought it would be impactful." They mumble while trying to keep their blush under control, only to make Eda laugh even harder.
"You looked so cute." Eda is able to say between her snorts. "Unfortunately the guards didn't let you finish."
"Fortunately…" Is the only word Eda can understand them saying from behind their hand.
"What was that?" Eda raises an eyebrow, curious to hear what they had to say.
"Fortunately they didn't let me finish or else I wouldn't have needed your help that day." Raine caresses the top of Eda's hand with their thumb. "I missed you, Eda." They gaze into her eyes as if those were the last thing they would ever see. "Despite everything we need to discuss and all these feelings we have to understand, I want to stay by your side. I want to get to know you."
"But you do know me, Raine." Eda gives them a warm smile. "We have known each other since we were kids."
"No, Eda. I feel like I am finally getting to know you after all these years. I mean, look at us now. If we had this conversation years ago, you would have just left and avoided talking about the matter until I eventually gave up on it."
"Well, you are right. That is something I used to do." Eda answers with a sigh. "We have changed." She places a hand on Raine's cheek, just to gently caress it with her thumb. "But what we had is still there somewhere… right?" She looks for an answer in their eyes. Little did Eda know that they never stopped loving her. Their Calamity.
"Of course it is." They take Eda's hand on their own only to kiss the top of hers, sending shivers down Eda's spine. Their lips touching her bare skin reminds her of old times and oh Titan how much she missed that.
"It has always been and it will always be." Raine finishes right before looking at Eda's blushed cheeks, just to let out a laugh. And how Eda loved to watch them laugh, especially after all the horrible nightmares Belos made they go through over and over again, all of that just by using that sigil on their forearm. The fact that the thing was still there in their arm was just a reminder that if they got anywhere near Kikimora or Belos himself, they would return to that endless suffering.
"You said you want to be by my side, then why did you call me reckless for rescuing you?" Eda asks them with an eyebrow raised, trying to avoid the feeling of uncertainty growing inside her chest. She didn't want to kill the mood, but she had to ask or else it would start consuming her thoughts for days.
"Because you were." Raine interlocks their fingers with Eda's, afraid she would let go of their hand and snap like earlier. "I saw what they can do to witches like us. What if something happened to you because of me? What if something happens in the future because you are around me? I will never forgive myself, Eda. I can't drag you down with me. King and Luz need you. Even Hooty needs you. You are important to them." They let out a sigh of despair as the memory of the day it all went wrong started to play in their head. "Why do you think I did let go of your hand that day in the forest?" To avoid Eda's hurt expression towards them, they look back at Bonesborough, watching the lights and movements of the city. "I was trying to protect you from the Emperor. I knew he wouldn't let you go off without a second petrification ceremony." They take a deep breath to calm themself down so they can focus back at Eda.
"It actually crossed my mind that, if that day was going to be the one I would see your face for the last time, at least I had the opportunity to play our duet by your side." They tell her with a calm but yet loving tone of voice, thinking that would at least comfort Eda somehow. However, as Raine soon found out, it caused the exact opposite reaction on Eda, who slaps the side of their right arm all of a sudden. "Eda?! What the heck?" Is all they can say before Eda starts using her fists to hit their chest.
"Do you have any idea of how much I cried that day?! Me of all people, Raine! I cried for you!" Eda yells at them, not making any efforts to contain herself any longer. "I didn't run away that day because you told me so." She shakes her head in anger. "I just left you behind because I didn't have any magic!" She let the tears she has been holding back fall on her cheeks. "I wouldn't have been able to save you even if I stayed there! And here you are telling me you would have died happy because we could play together one last time!" She stops her fists above Raine's chest, grabbing their shirt tight to stop her urge to hit them one more time. "What about me, huh?" She leans her head forward to rest her forehead against their shoulder. "I would have played that memory of you letting go of my hand over and over again forever." She sobs, which actually takes Raine aback. They can't remember the last time they saw Eda cry like this, well, except for that live video she made to help King find his family. That one they remember very well since it was what distracted Eberwolf and Darius as they managed to escape the abomination trap.
"You said the kids need me. But who said no one needed you?" Eda takes a deep breath as she starts to calm herself down. "You are important, Rainestorm." She tells them in a quiet voice and, once they listen to those words, Raine finds themself speechless. All they can do is stare at the woman resting on their shoulder as Eda's voice saying their nickname still rings in their ears.
It takes a minute or two for Raine to finally regain their senses and start asking themself what they did right to deserve someone like Eda. How could someone be so wild and so considerate at the same time? Raine doesn't know. However, what they certainly do know is that Eda has a big heart and, even though she would never admit it out loud in front of other people, she always cares, even when she pretends not to.
Therefore, with that in mind, the bard takes a long breath as a smile starts to form on their lips. They finally know what to do.
"I am going to hug you now." They finally say out loud, making Eda's heart skip a beat after all that time in complete silence. "Please, don't run." They quickly add, well aware that Eda could definitely run for the hills.
Once Raine places their arms around Eda and makes sure she is not going anywhere, they rest their head on her shoulder, embracing the Owl Lady as tight as they can. It takes a while, but Eda also places her arms around Raine's waist, gently hugging them.
"I wonder when the day will come that we can stay like this without having to worry about anything else." Raine tells the other witch while snuggling on her neck, looking for some comfort themself.
"You are killing the mood, Rainestorm." Eda says in an annoyed voice before chuckling on the feeling of Raine against the crook of her neck. "But, you know, before we had all this… conversation." She looks at their strands of mint-green hair next to her face. "I was planning to ask you to fly with me after the kids went to sleep. Just you and me, well, the Owl Beast would have to be present because I need the power to fly around and carry you in my arms. But they promised not to make me eat anything weird this time and also they let me keep my thoughts to myself." She says, but the truth was that Eda actually had to beg the Beast and promise she would eat as many voles as the Bird Brain wanted, next time.
"You two seem to be getting along well." Raine gives a muffled answer, but with a grin on their face. It made them really happy to see Eda accepting her curse and getting along with the Beast that caused her so much pain in all those past years. "Tell them I say hi." They chuckle, making Eda roll her eyes before letting a bright smile show up on her lips.
"The Owl Beast says greetings to the Bard Witch." Eda tells them, ignoring the part where the Beast said 'the Bard Witch Eda loves the most'. "So…" Eda clears her throat. "What do you say? Do you wanna fly with me?"
"I think it's too risky." Raine tells her as they shake their head, moving back a little to look at her eyes and placing their hands on her waist. "What if someone saw us? The Emperor could find out about my location and capture us all." The bard closes their eyes as all their anxiety starts to flood their senses.
"C'mon Raine, the guy doesn't have eyes in the sky and, besides, no one knows I am the one who rescued you. Belos will never dream of the possibility of you knowing or being sheltered by The Owl Lady." Eda gently touches the bard's cheek to make them open their eyes for her and look into her own. She wants to be sure they understand her point, however, all she finds when looking at them is the lack of breath on Raine's part. "Please, breathe or else you are going to pass out and hit your head on the ground." She tells them while placing a strand of their hair behind their ear, making Raine giggle a little as they catch their breath once again.
"And here I was, expecting you to catch me graciously in your arms." They joke, dramatically closing their eyes as they pretend to feel betrayed by the lady in front of them.
"Well…" Eda smirks at the bard, who knew something was about to happen when they spotted that familiar spark of danger in her eyes. "That can still be arranged." She says as fluffy feathers start to show up on her bare skin and two big wings on her back. Raine just stays there and watches as Eda's eyes fill with that shade of black they found breathtaking. Actually, if they were being honest about it, they found this whole new form astonishing. They could admire Eda for days and never get tired of how beautiful (and, well, hot) she looks in this new form.
However, before Raine could say anything, Harpy Eda swept them off their feet and held them in her arms, bridal style. It doesn't take much time for Raine to get all blushy from the point of their nose to their ears.
"W-wow." Is all that comes out of Raine's mouth as they gaze at Eda, completely hypnotized by her looks.
"So, still think it's too risky?" The Owl Lady grins at the witch on her arms, blushing a little herself once she notices how much she made Raine blush.
All the response Eda gets from Raine is a shy nod of disagreement, but that wouldn't do. She wants them to say it while her Beast side tells her to be feral.
"I am not going anywhere until you say it out loud." Harpy Eda growls, making the bard's face flush harder.
"Oh my Titan. Let's just go already!" Raine says as they hide their face behind their hands, giving Eda a muffled groan.
"Say no more, Rainestorm!" Eda chuckles as she takes off, feeling the warm breeze of the Isles against her face.
It takes a while, but Raine finally gets their hands off their face, just to find themself gazing at the pretty woman in front of them. The moonlight showered her with such beauty that it inspired them to write songs about the view they are having.
"Enjoying the view?" Eda glances at them with a smirk on her lips.
"I can't even begin to tell." Raine tells Eda without getting their eyes off her face, now making Eda the one to start to blush.
The slightly red on the woman's cheek is all it takes for Raine to realize what they have just said, making their cheeks get all shades of red at once as Eda gazes at them.
Oh Titan, that would be a long night.
A.n.: So, how are we doing after all this?
You see, I told myself "no, you are not writing about Raeda. You have other fanfictions to finish."
But, well, then I started drawing that fanart, then the idea came up in my head and I ended up writing a 4000 words fanfiction.
Well, what can I say? I love Raine and Eda a lot.
I hope you all enjoyed reading this!
Comments are always appreciated!
Sorry for any typos or grammar mistakes (English is not my first language)
And thanks for reading!